Myths Reawakened

Great Cemetery of Western District.

Thick mist permeated the cemetery. Sometimes, it moved silently like the souls of the dead, lingering around the tombstones and refusing to leave. Other times, it stayed still like time had frozen, concealing all the tombstones, trees, and silhouettes in the area.

Moonlight was pale and weak tonight, piercing through the thin layer of clouds but not the thick mist surrounding the cemetery. The lifeless land was dim and oppressive. The occasional wind stirred the mist like an invisible hand, making meandering cries like the sighs of the dead.

The cemetery was where the Death Knight lay in slumber. It wasn’t a secret in Londan’s circle of magic. Outside of mages who never left home, it was common knowledge.

Due to the Death Knight, the cemetery was inevitably tinged with the energy of Death. The grass drooped, and the tree branches bent, looking like their vitality had been drawn out. Every now and then, owls could be heard hooting, unnerving those visiting late at night.

Douglas walked among the mist. He had come alone tonight because he had no other choice. He would’ve liked to bring someone with him, such as Anastasia, but she turned him down.

The Holy Maiden said that while the Church of Darkness was close to the Church of Death, the chosen knights were independent of the churches, and she had no sway over the Death Knight. Her presence wouldn’t change anything. The time would be better spent on finding the Darkness Knight.

The explanation was decent, but not terribly convincing. Douglas quickly figured out her reasons.

Anastasia had agreed to work with the royal family for the development of the Church of Darkness, opposing the Life Alliance for the church’s future. That made her an ally, but not a subordinate. It wasn’t her obligation to convince the Death Knight, but the royal family’s concern.

Anastasia would prefer it if Douglas could think that way.

Truthfully, Douglas was a little panicked about meeting the Death Knight alone, especially when the mist weaved life and death together into an eerie, illusory space. This was the Death Knight’s territory, and by stepping inside, he would be putting his life in the knight’s grasp. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling to let another decide his fate.

No wonder Anastasia didn’t want to come. This feeling of oppression was repulsive.

Douglas’s musings were interrupted by the sounds of flapping wings. He shuddered, feeling a chill running from his feet to the back of his neck. Not far from him, a skeleton bird whose body had completely decayed perched on a tree, phosphorus flames dancing in its round eye sockets.

An owl. It had turned into an undead from the corruption of the Death energy.

Based on the information he had gathered, Douglas guessed that the owl was the one that accompanied the Death Knight, and the thick mist permeating the cemetery was likely the handiwork of the Death Knight’s pet dog.

The royal family had compiled a lot of data on the Death Knight, including the Dawn Detective Agency, its affiliated law firms, and the undead police officer roaming the River Thames every night. Before visiting the Great Cemetery in the Western District, Douglas had first found Bo at the Dawn Detective Agency, contacting the Death Knight through him to arrange tonight’s meeting.

Clop!

Clop! Clop—

Horse hooves could be heard hitting the ground. From a dim portal, a strong, agile undead horse galloped out. It wore a saddle and a rein, its skeleton covered in cold light. Crisscrossing fangs lined its mouth, and black smoke enveloped its head. From its mouth and nostrils, it breathed out purple supernatural flames.

On its back hung a knightly sword with a sheath made of white bones. The ruby installed in the pommel of the sword glowed with an insidious crimson light.

Douglas could barely look at the red light. A desire rose in his heart.

That was Shadow Nightmare, the Death Knight’s personal weapon and the mythical divine artifact that the Goddess of Death had granted Her chosen knight. Drawing the sword would mean winning the recognition of the goddess. The weapon represented Death’s unrivaled divine authority in the human world!

Douglas craved power so much. As a Gold-ranked mage, his magical talent was mediocre. He would be considered talented outside Londan, but nothing special in the city.

If I could get my hand on the sword, the Tulip Families wouldn’t dare to disobey while keeping up the veneer of respect, the bastards at the Ministry of Magic would listen, and forget Auston, even Sophelia...

Douglas took a deep breath, suppressing his desire with his love for his wife. His goal was to rule over Windsor with her rather than becoming King.

The mist thinned in front of him. Julia, the undead warhorse, went up to an unmarked tomb and tapped the ground with her hooves, lowering her head to nuzzle the tombstone. Beside her was Bo, who had contacted the knight for Douglas. He put a hand on his chest and bowed to welcome his master.

The undead hound arrived through the mist.

Hoot, hoot, hoot!

The owl flapped its skeletal wings as wind freely passed through, landing on Julia’s saddle gracefully. Despite being the Goddess of Sun’s messenger, Snow had gotten used to his current role.

Wayne was the Death Knight and the archenemy of the Church of Sun, but he was also the Sun Knight’s successor and the future Sun Knight, handpicked by the goddess. The Death Knight being the Sun Knight...

Snow didn’t understand it, not one bit. So it might as well just give up and feast on mice!

Though Snow felt thoroughly confused, it was in no position to judge the goddess’s choice. As Valkyrie had said, the goddess had long chosen Wayne. Her messenger first came up to Wayne, and then Her old knight found Wayne and taught him dragonslaying swordsmanship. Finally, he headed to the Frozen Land and averted a crisis, winning over Dawn Doctrine completely.

The story supported Wayne being the Sun Knight. The Goddess of Sun had long written the script. All was going according to the plan of fate.

It didn’t matter if the next Sun Knight was chivalrous. The Goddess of Sun’s decision was what truly mattered. If even the stubborn Valkyrie had given up and lay down, Snow would even do a headstand in surrender.

It was already learning dog language from Do.

Rumble!

Cold, moist earth rose and fell away as the coffin of remains emerged from underground, toppling the nameless tombstone and standing tall in the heart of the cemetery. The Death Knight awakened.

Douglas put a hand on his chest and bowed slightly in respect. He represented the Queen, so he could be neither timid nor arrogant. He had to show proper etiquette.

“Kekekeke—”

Wayne kicked his coffin open and strode out while laughing heartily, his cape of Death energy fluttering without any wind. The skull enveloped in black mist lit up with two dancing white orbs of light.

“Baron Kilmer, is it? Welcome to the Great Cemetery. Bo has informed me of your intention. The Queen wishes to replace the liaison, and you’ll be in charge of communication with me, yes?”

“Great Death Knight, on behalf of Windsor and Her Majesty, I, Kilmer, hereby give you my sincerest greeting.” Kilmer rose slowly. The moment his eyes met the skeleton’s, his heart shuddered.

Although the Death Knight had not shown any power, he still felt an oppressive might, which further stoked his desire for great power.

“Enough. I know the Queen’s goodwill. Working with her has been pleasant enough.” Wayne cackled. “Yes, since she pays quickly.”

Kilmer sighed in relief. The Death Knight was more amicable than he had expected, unlike the rude, unreasonable knight Auston had described in his report.

“Sir Knight, I’m visiting you tonight not only to meet you and confirm the change of liaison, but also...”

“Wait,” Wayne interrupted with a laugh. “Where’s Auston, the black-haired man from the Lando family? Why the sudden change?”

“That...”

“While I don’t like Auston, believing him to be a despicable bastard through and through, I dislike changes more. Besides...” The white light in Wayne’s eye sockets wobbled violently. “He has an interesting soul. I decided to reap it during our first meeting. You’re different. Your soul is boring and just like anyone else’s. Nothing about you attracts my attention.”

Being judged by the Death Knight to be inferior to Auston left a bad taste in Douglas’s mouth. He said bluntly, “You’re right, Sir Knight. Auston is a despicable, treacherous, and hypocritical snob more than willing to distort the truth. While reviewing the accounting books, Her Majesty realized that Auston had been asking for a great amount of magical supplies for himself while using you as an excuse.”

Are you practicing your prose here? Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you, a baron and an outsider, the right to criticize Auston?

You’re right, though!

Wayne cocked his head with a cackle. “Interesting, you seem dissatisfied with Auston.”

“No, the Queen is dissatisfied with him.”

“Why, did the Queen replace him with you because of your unsatisfactory sex life?”

“...”

Why would you, a skeleton, speak like... men with flesh and blood?

Douglas seethed. The damn rumors had reached even the Death Knight. Who had the gossip not reached?

“Don’t take it the wrong way. Auston didn’t say all that. He didn’t say that he had bedded the Queen and had a princess and perhaps the prince...”

Wayne started spouting off lies, not missing a chance to slander Auston. “That’s what I’ve heard from the Londan residents who visited the tombs here. They talked about the gossip between the Queen and Auston, usually finishing a pack of cigarettes as they spoke.”

The Death Knight proved that gossiping was a universal urge, even for a skeleton. Or perhaps the knight was particularly direct because he was a skeleton, leaving Douglas’s face stormy.

While Auston was a bastard, the Queen was pure... Well, at least she was pure when they got married. Douglas was certain that Elizabeth was his daughter, and the rumors weren’t fooling him.

Wayne continued to mumble, feeding Douglas’s ire. However, he had to lower his eyes and control his reactions.

“It seems that you have feelings for the Queen. You aren’t her simp, are you?” Wayne suddenly said. “No wonder you don’t like Auston. It’s all because of love. But why are you angry when Auston was the Queen’s first as her ex-boyfriend? Only after that did the Prince Consort come into the story. As for you...”

“You do resemble Auston somewhat. Perhaps that was why she picked you as the liaison!”

“Kekekeke—”

The Death Knight hadn’t drawn his sword, but instead unleashed a verbal barrage like a machine gun. All the bullets hit Douglas without fail.

They weren’t having the same conversation, and their perceptions were mismatched from start to finish. The conclusions, however, were accurate. That left Douglas feeling terrible and ever resentful of Auston’s ugly mug.